Benjamin Netanyahu warns of Iran 'honey' trap

Benjamin Netanyahu will counter Hassan Rouhani's charm offensive by saying
that the new Iranian president is no different from his predecessor, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, who frequently predicted the demise of Israel.

US President Barack Obama, left, and Iranian President Hassan RouhaniPhoto: AFP/REUTERS

Prompted by growing alarm over the prospect of rapprochement between Iran and the West, the Israeli prime minister will warn that Mr Rouhani's conciliatory tone conceals the same hostile intent voiced explicitly by the combative Mr Ahmadinejad when he addresses the UN general assembly on October 1.

By contrast, the Israeli leader will respond to Iranian overtures seeking a resolution to the impasse over its nuclear programme by warning that no deal is better than a bad agreement. He will remind diplomats that a deal was struck in 2005 over North Korea's nuclear activities only for the Communist regime to test a bomb a year later.

Yuval Steinitz, Israel's intelligence and strategic affairs minister and one of Mr Netanyahu's closest allies, voiced concern over intense speculation the Iranian president might meet Barack Obama at today's gathering, thus paving the way for a new detente between Iran and America.

Asked by Israel's Army Radio if he thought there would be a handshake between the two leaders, he replied: "I hope not. I don't know." He added: "Rouhani wants to hoodwink, and some in the world want to be hoodwinked, and the role of little Israel is to explain the truth and to stand in the breach. And that is what we are doing to the best of our abilities. It is a long struggle."

An official in Mr Netanyahu's office said Mr Rouhani's words on the nuclear programme - which Israel sees as a front to build a bomb and a threat to its existence - were similar to those uttered by Mr Ahmadinejad.

"There is no doubt that when Ahmadinejad was president, he said Iran would never build nuclear weapons [and] that the nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes," the official told The Telegraph. "He said that several times. The difference is that Rouhani says it with a smile while Ahmadinejad said it with a frown."

Officials say Mr Netanyahu will reiterate four demands when he addresses the UN. He will say Iran must cease all uranium enrichment, agree to the removal of all enriched material from the country, dismantle the Fordow nuclear facility near the holy city of Qom, and stop building a heavy-water reactor at Arak.

The Israeli prime minister provoked controversy at least year's general assembly by warning that Iran was close to crossing a "red line" in its nuclear activities, illustrating his speech with a cartoon-diagram.